CHS seeking projects for community service day

Carroll High School sophomore Rose Eischeid (left) explains the online signup procedure for a community service project Eischeid and other students are organizing. Eischeid presented the idea to faculty, including principal Tammie McKenzie (right). The service day is scheduled for April 30.

April 7, 2014

Carroll High School students are seeking projects for a community-wide service day slated for Wednesday, April 30.

The service day is the brainchild of sophomores Rose Eischeid, Chance Sturgeon, Brent Van Erdewyk and Jennifer Najarro. The students researched other schools with service days, including Kuemper Catholic High School, before developing a website, online submission form for community residents and a reflection form for the students who volunteer to look back on their experience.

The proposal for the service day was the culmination of a problem-solution project for Becky Boes' English class in which students are challenged to address an issue or need they see in their community.

"We wanted to develop something that would have a lasting effect on the community, something the school could continue," said Eischeid.

The students named their project Students Out Serving, SOS for short.

They are currently seeking projects, anything from yard or house work to visiting nursing homes or packing boxes for the teachers who will be moving buildings next year.

"No job is too big or too small," agreed CHS principal Tammie McKenzie, commending the group for its efforts to show peers the benefits of service.

The website built by the students will funnel the projects into a spreadsheet, so community residents are encouraged to submit project ideas online, said Eischeid. The form is available at https://sites.google.com/a/carrolltigers.org/serviceday/home. This link is also available from the homepage of the school website, www.carroll.k12.ia.us.

However, residents may also call the high school at 792-8010 and talk to secretary Jeanne Hansen to submit projects. The request form requires the name, email and phone number of the person submitting the job, a description of the job, an estimate on the amount of time it will take, a list of any supplies needed and whether they will be provided and the location of the job.

Applications are due by April 23.

April 30 is one of the school's early-release days, meaning the service projects will primarily be completed in the morning, though the complete schedule for the day will not be available until the organizers have a full list of projects. Students will be grouped based on the school's 36 home-room classes, each comprised of 15-20 students.

CHS transportation director Tom Reiter will organize shuttle buses to transport the students to the various jobs. If the service day stretches through the lunch hour, the cooks plan to provide sack lunches, said McKenzie.

Throughout the day, students will be tweeting photos of the service project with the hashtag #ccsdtigerpride.

"I'm so proud of this group," said McKenzie, stating that service is a growing piece of the district's curriculum.

"Service projects happen in college too. It's a part of this generation."